Big Sam signs new contract

West Ham United are delighted to announce that manager Sam Allardyce has pledged his future to the Club by signing a new contract.

Big Sam put pen to paper on the new deal on Saturday after overseeing a hugely impressive season for the Hammers following their return to the Barclays Premier League last summer. The Club go in to Sunday's game at Everton in tenth position, having secured some superb results this term including a home win against European champions Chelsea and a thrilling 2-2 home draw with champions Manchester United.

Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold appointed Allardyce in June 2011 and tasked him with leading the Hammers back to the Premier League from the npower Championship. It was a task he completed at the first attempt by successfully guiding the Club through the Play-Offs and, in doing so, providing the Claret and Blue Army with one of their most memorable afternoons in recent times by beating Blackpool 2-1 at Wembley last May.

The progress did not stop there, however, as Allardyce and the Board quickly set about building a team to compete in the Premier League. Experienced top-flight players Jussi Jaaskelainen, James Collins, Momo Diame and Matt Jarvis were among those recruited alongside the season-long loan of England international Andy Carroll.

The hard work paid off as Big Sam's side picked up 22 points from their first 15 games; a start that ensured they were never drawn into the relegation picture during the 2012/13 season.

January saw further strengthening of the squad, including the return of local hero Joe Cole, and the Club have ended the season strongly with just two defeats in their last nine games. If they can maintain their top-half position until the end of the season, they would be one of only 14 newly-promoted sides to do so since the formation of the Premier League.

West Ham were named anchor concessionaire at the iconic Olympic Stadium in March and Allardyce will now be working with the Board to create a squad that can rise to the challenge of playing in the magnificently-converted 54,000-seater stadium.

As the Board and their manager repeatedly stated during the season, no agreement would be signed until West Ham United were mathematically safe and now that feat has been achieved, both sides were keen to move quickly to conclude negotiations.

Joint-Chairman David Sullivan said: "I am delighted that we have reached an agreement to extend Sam Allardyce's stay at West Ham United.

"Going into our final two Premier League games, we have a very real possibility of achieving a top-ten finish this season, which would exceed our expectations and be a fantastic achievement for any newly-promoted side.

"With Sam's future now secured and our Premier League position guaranteed for next season, the hard work of bringing in new talent to take this Club to the next level can progress. Sam will now have the exciting challenge of building a squad that will befit a team playing in the Olympic Stadium.

"With a highly-rated manager, a stunning new home and two high-profile sponsorship agreements announced in the past few months, these are extremely exciting times for West Ham United."

Joint-Chairman David Gold said: "This is fantastic news for West Ham United. Sam has made a hugely positive impact since joining the club nearly two years ago. When you consider the difficult situation he faced when he arrived at the club following our relegation, he quickly set about making his mark and built a new team that ultimately got us promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

"We chose to recruit Sam as we knew he would bring discipline, determination, passion and respect to Chadwell Heath and he has delivered on all fronts.

"The relationships that exist throughout the Club are some of the best I've seen during my 20 years in football. When I visit the training ground, it is obvious to see Sam is respected by the players and David Sullivan, Karren Brady and I all enjoy working with him.

"We can now all look forward to the next few years with optimism and I am already excited about our plans for the 2013/14 season."